Hello, My Friends,
Centuries ago, an ancient philosopher told a story about a chariot driver with a team of wild horses. His task was to hold the team together and keep it from wrecking the chariot. The point of the parable was intended to describe human nature. Each person is a bundle of charging impulses, pulling sometimes in conflicting directions. The apostle Paul put it this way. In Romans, chapter 7, he said, in effect, “Sometimes I seem to be two people. Who can deliver me from this awful contradiction?”
Years ago, I read a biography of Winston Churchill, and I’ve always been intrigued by his life. In early years, he was a problem child. One of his teachers called him the worst boy in the class. He was dismissed from school at least once. It took him longer than usual to graduate out of elementary school. He was unpopular with teachers and students alike. Later in life, his political adversaries called him erratic and undependable. Then on May 10, 1940, England called on Winston Churchill to direct its defenses. Suddenly, this uncertain and inconsistent man became the Rock of Britain. He fused together the scattered potential of his life and became one of the stalwart giants of the 20th Century.
Once we establish what is important in life and give ourselves to it, then our contrary impulses can be brought under control. Life works best if we have a singular purpose, and to that purpose we must dedicate our energies. Thus, the wild horses are brought together and work as a team. Dedicating ourselves to a primary purpose is also what brings life a sense of peace.
One of the great questions we all must face is this: If everything the world could take from us were taken, what would we have left? What we own can be confiscated; what we really are, no one can take away. The people who live in peace are those who decide who they are and what they will be. The chief objective is not making a living but building a life. Those who build a life based on the highest and best they know are those who stand at the end, look back and are not ashamed.
May you learn how to tame the horses,
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
